Big Pharma is top spender with $800 million to lobbyists

The pharmaceutical industry has spent almost $800 million on lobbyists and campaign contributions since 1998 to influence legislation, drug regulation and patent law, a report from the Center for Public Integrity said.According to the report, the pharmaceutical and health productsindustry has spent $675 million on lobbying Congress and federal agencies since 1998 with $87 million spent on campaign donations to federal candidates and political parties and $10 million to finance outside political advocacy groups.The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers ofAmerica (PhRMA) called the report "clearly biased and one-sided," in a statement."What it fails to acknowledge is one indisputable fact: Medicines researched and developed by America's pharmaceutical research companies save lives and improve the quality of life for tens of millions of patients from around the world," PhRMA said.The report said the pharmaceutical industry outspent all other industries and over the past seven years gave $798,000 in campaign funds to its biggest recipient, President Bush.